that's roughly half the number expected to vote in the election. the combination of shrinking finances and rising crime is forcing drastic change on camden, new jersey, a small city just across the delaware from philadelphia. tony guida has the details of a reorganization plan that would take veteran cops off the beat permanently. >> reporter: if camden had its own postcards, the picture would look look a lot like this-- police responding to the scene of a crime. with just 77,000 residents and 1500 violent crimes and 48 murders this year alone, camden has been called one of the most dangerous cities in america. now, in an unprecedented move, the hard-pressed city is planning to fire its police department. >> our hope is to start something that makes sense, to start to diminish crime in a way that people say, "oh, wait a minute. it's not the same old camden." >> reporter: ian leonard says what camden needs is more police on the street. under the union contract, the city can't afford the 273 police officers it has now, so the plan is to replace them